night.’ Olivia took her arm and went to rescue the trolley.
‘Oh Lord, I’m knackered, but I’m dying to see Mam and Dad and Michael and the girls.’ Alison sighed happily.
‘Well, it will be a while, I had to park in Block C. It took me as long to get parking as it did to get here.’ Olivia took charge of the trolley and led the way to the pay machines.
‘That’s a fabulous coat. I suppose it cost an arm and a leg – it looks it – and so does the bag,’ she said enviously, running her hand along the soft forearm of
Alison’s coat.
‘Er . . . yeah, it was expensive all right,’ Alison agreed.
‘How wonderful to be able to buy clothes without feeling a scintilla of guilt. The nearest thing I get to a designer bag is buying a fake at the market,’ confessed Olivia, feeding a
ten-euro note into the machine.
I couldn’t even afford that at the moment
. Alison scowled, feeling a surge of resentment towards her sister for making her feel guilty. Olivia was so good at pressing her guilt
buttons and always had been. Did all older sisters do it, or just hers? She was sorely tempted to tell her
exactly
what was going on in her life, but pride held her back. Even though she
felt a complete failure, she didn’t want her family to know that she
was
one. Not on her first day home.
‘I have Mam’s bracelet in my bag – it’s wrapped beautifully. I love the Tiffany colours.’ Alison swallowed her resentment and changed the subject as they eventually
settled into the car after their long trudge from Arrivals.
‘Great, she’ll be able to wear it tonight. She has absolutely no idea,’ Olivia said, as she started up the engine, unaware of her younger sister’s angst. ‘The
flowers have to be collected and arranged. And the room just needs to be decorated a little bit. I thought some wide cream candles and poinsettias would be nice.’
‘If we could get some holly and ivy we could twine it along the windowsills,’ Alison suggested.
‘Oh, thank God you’re here, you were always good at that kind of stuff,’ Olivia exclaimed. ‘I’ll send Michael out to get some, there’s a big holly bush in the
church grounds, and we have ivy on the wall at the end of the garden.’
‘Great stuff.’ Alison yawned.
‘We’ll go and see Mam and Dad and have a bit of breakfast with them and then you can go and have a snooze and I’ll give you a shout around half-two – how’s
that?’ Olivia proposed.
‘Perfect,’ said her sister. ‘Just perfect.’
Chapter 9
‘Remember when it was a windy country road home?’ Alison said as Olivia indicated to come off the motorway and took the slip road to Port Ross.
‘It takes no time now, unless you get stuck in the rush hour,’ her sister remarked, slowing down to keep within the speed limit. She’d phoned Michael on her hands-free to tell
him to meet her with the girls at Esther and Liam’s house.
‘I think it’s a better idea to surprise Mam at home rather than at the party, don’t you?’ Alison said thoughtfully.
‘Absolutely. You know Mam, she’s such a softie she’ll be in tears when she sees you and, besides, she’ll have two surprises today. You this morning and the party tonight.
And, anyway, she’ll have more time to enjoy her . . . her joy, knowing that you’re here, if you know what I mean.’ Olivia whizzed past a pothole with a sudden swerve of the wheel.
‘Bloody roads,’ she muttered.
‘That was here the last time I was here. Melora and I were driving along and I nearly decapitated her because I never saw it.’ Alison smiled at the memory. Her friend had phoned to
wish her well and to tell her that she was playing volleyball on Venice Beach and had two interviews lined up.
‘How is Melora?’ asked Olivia.
‘She’s in LA looking for a job,’ Alison said, without thinking.
‘She’s leaving New York? I thought she really liked it there,’ her sister said in surprise.
‘Oh . . . oh . . . she does, she did . .
‘Oh Lord, I’m knackered, but I’m dying to see Mam and Dad and Michael and the girls.’ Alison sighed happily.
‘Well, it will be a while, I had to park in Block C. It took me as long to get parking as it did to get here.’ Olivia took charge of the trolley and led the way to the pay machines.
‘That’s a fabulous coat. I suppose it cost an arm and a leg – it looks it – and so does the bag,’ she said enviously, running her hand along the soft forearm of
Alison’s coat.
‘Er . . . yeah, it was expensive all right,’ Alison agreed.
‘How wonderful to be able to buy clothes without feeling a scintilla of guilt. The nearest thing I get to a designer bag is buying a fake at the market,’ confessed Olivia, feeding a
ten-euro note into the machine.
I couldn’t even afford that at the moment
. Alison scowled, feeling a surge of resentment towards her sister for making her feel guilty. Olivia was so good at pressing her guilt
buttons and always had been. Did all older sisters do it, or just hers? She was sorely tempted to tell her
exactly
what was going on in her life, but pride held her back. Even though she
felt a complete failure, she didn’t want her family to know that she
was
one. Not on her first day home.
‘I have Mam’s bracelet in my bag – it’s wrapped beautifully. I love the Tiffany colours.’ Alison swallowed her resentment and changed the subject as they eventually
settled into the car after their long trudge from Arrivals.
‘Great, she’ll be able to wear it tonight. She has absolutely no idea,’ Olivia said, as she started up the engine, unaware of her younger sister’s angst. ‘The
flowers have to be collected and arranged. And the room just needs to be decorated a little bit. I thought some wide cream candles and poinsettias would be nice.’
‘If we could get some holly and ivy we could twine it along the windowsills,’ Alison suggested.
‘Oh, thank God you’re here, you were always good at that kind of stuff,’ Olivia exclaimed. ‘I’ll send Michael out to get some, there’s a big holly bush in the
church grounds, and we have ivy on the wall at the end of the garden.’
‘Great stuff.’ Alison yawned.
‘We’ll go and see Mam and Dad and have a bit of breakfast with them and then you can go and have a snooze and I’ll give you a shout around half-two – how’s
that?’ Olivia proposed.
‘Perfect,’ said her sister. ‘Just perfect.’
Chapter 9
‘Remember when it was a windy country road home?’ Alison said as Olivia indicated to come off the motorway and took the slip road to Port Ross.
‘It takes no time now, unless you get stuck in the rush hour,’ her sister remarked, slowing down to keep within the speed limit. She’d phoned Michael on her hands-free to tell
him to meet her with the girls at Esther and Liam’s house.
‘I think it’s a better idea to surprise Mam at home rather than at the party, don’t you?’ Alison said thoughtfully.
‘Absolutely. You know Mam, she’s such a softie she’ll be in tears when she sees you and, besides, she’ll have two surprises today. You this morning and the party tonight.
And, anyway, she’ll have more time to enjoy her . . . her joy, knowing that you’re here, if you know what I mean.’ Olivia whizzed past a pothole with a sudden swerve of the wheel.
‘Bloody roads,’ she muttered.
‘That was here the last time I was here. Melora and I were driving along and I nearly decapitated her because I never saw it.’ Alison smiled at the memory. Her friend had phoned to
wish her well and to tell her that she was playing volleyball on Venice Beach and had two interviews lined up.
‘How is Melora?’ asked Olivia.
‘She’s in LA looking for a job,’ Alison said, without thinking.
‘She’s leaving New York? I thought she really liked it there,’ her sister said in surprise.
‘Oh . . . oh . . . she does, she did . .
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